Solara 1.5 · PHP forum software · under 2MB

Make space for
real conversation.

Solara is the beautifully focused forum software that gives communities room to connect—without the weight.

Download Solara 1.5 ↓See it in action →
PHP 8.1+ · MySQL 8+ or MariaDB 10.5+
Solara night shift categories view
your-community.com
Solara categories interface
Light by designFast by nature
THE SOLARA EXPERIENCE

Familiar enough to feel easy.
Fresh enough to feel new.

Every screen is considered—from finding a topic to sharing a moment. Solara stays out of the way and lets your community shine.

Solara ultra-compact posts list
01 Browse posts
Solara private message conversation and reply editor
02 Reply
Solara private message inbox
03 Messages
Solara members-only welcome and registration screen
04 Join
EXPLORE MORE FEATURES

Made for every part of your community.

From member profiles and moderation tools to a dense, easy-to-scan post list, Solara brings the essentials together in one welcoming space.

Solara member warnings and moderation interface
01
Member warningsClear moderation tools and warning history.
Solara member profile page
02
Member profilesPersonal profiles, bios, and signatures.
Solara ultra-compact thread view with dense rows
03
Ultra-compactMaximum density for busy, high-traffic communities.
NEW IN SOLARA 1.5

Polls built in. Your forum, your look.

Run complete community polls directly inside topics, then give the whole forum a distinct personality with built-in skins. Here are the new poll interface and three theme options in action.

Solara poll interface showing voting choices and results
01
Complete poll interfaceCreate, vote, review results, and update a vote without leaving the conversation.
Solara forum using the Forest Green theme
02
Forest GreenA calm, natural forum skin.
Solara forum using the Rose theme
03
RoseA warm pink forum skin.
Solara forum using the Ocean Blue teal theme
04
Ocean BlueA crisp teal-blue forum skin.
SMALL FOOTPRINT. FULL-SIZED IDEAS.

Everything your forum needs.
Nothing it doesn’t.

<2MB
TOTAL
Features 01–11
#FeatureAreaIncluded
01Rich admin and moderator control panelsModeration✓
02Fully fledged, compact or ultra-compact thread viewsConversation✓
03Night shift capabilitiesExperience✓
04Nestled quote supportConversation✓
05Inbuilt “Like” systemCommunity✓
06Private messaging systemCommunity✓
07Default or user-uploaded avatarsIdentity✓
08SignaturesIdentity✓
09Optional guest access and postingAccess✓
10Ignore listsCommunity✓
11Optional email verificationAccess✓
Features 12–22
#FeatureAreaIncluded
12Custom categories with optional thumbnailsOrganisation✓
13Emoji supportConversation✓
14Attachment systemContent✓
15Inbuilt warnings systemModeration✓
16WYSIWYG message systemContent✓
17Search systemOrganisation✓
18Ultra lightweight — under 2MBPerformance✓
19Warning-based temporary bansModeration✓
20Manual or automatic pruning systemModeration✓
21Complete poll interfaceCommunity✓
22Option to skin the forumsExperience✓
UP AND RUNNING, QUICKLY

Three requirements.
One bright community.

Bring your own server. Solara keeps the rest refreshingly simple.

  1. 01
    PHP 8.1 or newerA modern PHP environment
  2. 02
    MySQL 8+ or MariaDB 10.5+Your community’s database
  3. 03
    Three writable directoriesuploads/avatars/ · uploads/messages/
    uploads/category-icons/
!

One last step after installation
For security, delete install.php once your setup is complete.

Solara icon
YOUR COMMUNITY IS WAITING

Start something
worth talking about.

Download Solara 1.5 ↓

Ultra-lightweight · Self-hosted · Made with care